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Baguio City Adventures: Asin Hot Springs

I spent the whole Christmas break in Baguio City… here’s an account of how I spent my days up there… :D

Dec 25: 3 days and 2 nights

For this day, my family decided to escape the cool surroundings of Baguio and go to the Asin Hot Springs. These hot springs are sulfur springs which emanate from the long dormant volcano, Mt. Sto. Tomas (Baguio’s highest peak). These springs are said to be hot enough to boil an egg in a few minutes. Some entreprenuers developed pool resorts within the area and this is where we decided to spend Christmas Day.

Since I wanted to burn off all the food I ate for Noche Buena, I decided to run to get there. The area is ~14 kilometers from Baguio so it’s not really that far. Another reason I wanted to run this was that this would be somewhat of a nostalgic run for me, since a few more kilometers from Asin, is where my late grandfather’s farm is located. This is where I spent some of my summers while growing up.

The Route

- entry point (this road is beside the road going to the Lourdes Grotto) -

- my destination -

- a good morning -

- along the road is a woodcarvers’ village where their wares are being sold -

- it was all downhill, from start to finish! -

- where was I going? somewhere in between those mountains -

- Shrine of the Brown Madonna (enshrined within a cave along the road) -- future target? (the radars of Mt. Sto. Tomas)

When we were kids, my cousins and I would always joke around that travelling to Asin took 3 days and 2 nights. This was because one had to pass through 2 tunnels to get there.

- approaching the 1st tunnel -

- the sign says it all -

- inside the belly of a mountain -

- the longer, darker tunnel 2 -

Finally, after ~14 km of downhill running/jogging/walking, I arrived at the center of Asin.

Asin has 4 resorts, of which Palm Grove and Riverview are the newest, therefore are the better ones with regards to their amenities. They have multiple pools, both for adults and kids, and tables where to eat. They also have cottages for those who want to spend the night there. Entrance fees are affordable (P100) which allows one to swim in any of the pools. In Riverview, table use is free unlike in Palm Grove where tables are rented for P200/day. Bringing of food is allowed, but if you don’t want to bring any, both resorts have restaurants which serve typical resto food (I didn’t get to sample them though as we brought our Noche Buena leftovers :D)

The area is situated in between mountains and since the area is considerably lower in altitude than in Baguio (Baguio altitude = 1490 m above sea level, Asin altitude = 290 m above sea level), the weather is more akin to the lowlands (meaning hot).

Since I arrived earlier than my family, I decided to run beyond Asin and to reach my grandfather’s farm.

- end of the concrete road -

- rough road all the way! -

- a gigantic house in the middle of nowhere -

- a well shaded route -

- i used to swim in that river -

- the same stone steps laid down by my grandfather more than 50 years ago -

- where I spent a few happy summers:D -

I didn’t linger too long though since I still had to go back to Asin to meet my family. My legs and butt were really sore after as I was really tested by that 14 km downhill run I had to do to get here. (Sobra kong napractice and downhill running! hehehe)

All in all, I was able to run ~26 km that day. It was a good relaxing feeling once I got to soak myself in the nicely warm (from the hot springs) pool after all that running.

Family, running, food, relaxation… It was one great day! :D

(sorry, I don’t have pics of the resorts, my phone ran out of power :( )

Hi! How much is an overnight stay at the riverview resort? is it also hot spring or just a normal swimming pool?
Thanks a lot!

hi! sorry but i don’t know their overnight rates. their pools are regular pools that are fed with hot spring water via tubes. they have smaller jacuzzi-like pools though with hot spring water where one can just soak for hours…:D

hi guys! i heard about the hot spring located in baguio & i really wanted to see tha place but i don’t really know how to get there and i am just going to travel with my friend. can you help me how to get there & whare’s the best place to stay? it would be grate if you can give me an idea about the rates…

thanks,
apple

hello,
it’s relatively easy to go there. Once you’re in baguio already, just go to the jeep station behind the baguio city jail and ask where the jeeps that go to asin are. Just hop in one and once the jeep’s full, you’re off! It’s just a 45 minute ride. The first resort you’ll reach is the Riverview Resort and the other resort, Palm Grove, is a few more meters down the road. These are the resorts with the best amenities. Entrance is just P100 which allows you to swim all day. Though return trips to Baguio are only until 4 pm. If you want to stay longer, both resorts offer accommodations which range from P500-P1000.

We were just there last April, we had no plan to swim, or to stay for the day.
just visiting the place. we asked the employees if we could just check the place
for future get aways, and they were kind enough and considered us, without the entrance fee. Because it was noon time when we were there plus the smell of food is making us hungry we stayed for lunch. They have good menus, I liked the Asian green salad it was yummy and the pasta with marinara sauce was perfect so don’t forget to check those when you are there place is good we took pictures of the sorounding and so we left happy.

Hello, we are a vacation rental here in Baguio. We do provide our guests with info on local attractions, we would like to use some of your pics in our material for the guests, (of course giving kudos & links to you), please advise if this is ok with you, peter@baguiotransient.com

i think there were a few dogs roaming freely. kaya ran na may araw na para sigurado i get to see the road clearly. also, pag may aso, i would walk slowly as i intently look at the dog para if the dog would approach me… i’d be more prepared to react properly :D good luck sa takbo!